


Remember, Remember

by Greentreefrog



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: (kind of), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Kings AU, Multi, Reincarnation, minecraft au, ot7 is in the past (and also the future but not in the present because time is weird)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:28:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24508432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greentreefrog/pseuds/Greentreefrog
Summary: Ryan just wants to spend his days researching artifacts left behind by the ancient Sky Kingdom with his favourite student. Unfortunately there are a number of things getting in the way of that.For one: the kingdom is facing a drought. As a trusted advisor to King Jack, Ryan's expected to- well, advise. Jack thinks the drought is the work of the great and terrible Sun Queen, the powerful deity that brought the end of the Sky Kingdom. Ryan thinks it's just the natural weather cycle and unfavorable conditions. Regardless, a tithe has been placed on all the food in the kingdom, and a fraction is burned as sacrifice.For another: Ryan can't get a good night's sleep. Not with all the dreams.
Relationships: Gavin Free/Ryan Haywood, Jeremy Dooley/Gavin Free/Ryan Haywood/Lindsay Tuggey Jones/Michael Jones/Jack Pattillo/Geoff Ramsey, Matt Bragg & Ryan Haywood, Ryan Haywood & Lindsay Tuggey Jones
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	Remember, Remember

**Author's Note:**

> (3/6/20) So the world, huh. My personal circumstances make it very difficult to contribute in any way meaningful, and so I offer some escapism. Please stay safe, and #blacklivesmatter 
> 
> Thank you so much to my beta [Starlalalala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlalalala/pseuds/starlalalala)!

_It’s not enough._

_The reactor and the solar panels work in tandem to produce a decent amount of energy, but lately their attempts at crafting using the hearts of dragons and the fallen stars from the void had taken all of their reserves, and then some. It was almost disastrous when their automated supply broke down due to lack of power, and it had taken them what felt like days to bring everything back to their normal level._

_He sighs, narrowing his eyes at the flux controller. The numbers are holding steady, rising incrementally. If only there was a way to harness -_

_“Ry-an!”_

_The sun fills his sight and his world shrinks until it is nothing but warmth and light._

* * *

Ryan groans and drags the pillow out from under his head to cover his face. Past him was an _asshole_ , forgetting to close the curtains before collapsing into bed. Now present-Ryan is paying the price: the bright morning light scalding his eyes before he had a chance to open them.

He lies in bed letting his pillow smother him for a good five minutes while his brain wakes up. Once it does, the rest of his body is quick to follow. Ryan has never been a morning person. For as long as he could remember, he would rather sleep through the sunlight hours and do his work at night. Unfortunately, he’s one of the minority in this, and his responsibilities require him to be more active during the day.

_And speaking of those responsibilities…_

Ryan forces himself to swing his legs over the side of the bed. Eventually the rest of his body follows, sitting up and shrugging off his sleep shirt. Ryan’s spine cracks and pops as he stretches, eyes still closed. He brings a cotton shirt to his face and sniffs, and yeah, this one will do. His sleep pants are kicked off quickly and Ryan almost brains himself on the dresser when he trips over his own feet.

A _moo_ from just outside the window tells him that the only witness to his blunder was Edgar.

He groans. Ryan was sure that if his milking cow could talk, she wouldn’t shut up about the amount of times Ryan had almost killed himself in the morning. Or the evening. Or even during the middle of the day.

Making sure to safely kick his pants away while pulling on some - relatively - clean ones, Ryan reaches over to a bowl he keeps on his desk and plucks an apple from it. He reaches out the window with it, and Edgar plucks it neatly from his hand.

“Don’t tell anyone about that.”

The only response was loud crunching as Edgar consumed her tasty treat. She licks his hand once she finishes, chasing the sweet remains. Ryan laughs and scratches her head beneath her ear.

Choosing the room that adjoined the small paddock for his bedroom was the greatest decision he had ever made.

Ryan picks an apple from the bowl for himself and ignores Edgar’s distressed moo-ing when she notices him bite into it.

“Shush, you’ve got all that grass out there,” says Ryan, shooting her a look. “Besides, we’ve got to save our food a bit more. Jack’s starting his new food tax or whatever he’s calling it today.”

 _Even though it’s not backed by any research or science_. Oh well, he's not the king. Neither the decision, nor the consequences, have anything to do with him.

Picking up the long robe that marks his rank at the College, Ryan tries to abandon his thoughts on the recent courtly developments. That business occupies more time than he would like already without him worrying about it outside official hours. Instead he tries to make sure his satchel contains the books he had promised to bring to the lab. It certainly feels heavy enough, when he picks it up. A glance inside reveals that _yep_ , the heavy tomes sure are in there.

With a goodbye to Edgar, Ryan steps out of his small abode on the edge of the city and locks the door behind him. Sure, he could afford nicer lodgings, but in his experience none of the people who lived in the inner city close to the castle were very appreciative of cows. He wasn’t going to abandon Edgar.

Ryan starts the long and winding walk towards the inner city. The journey passes uneventfully, like usual. Ryan waves to the baker who normally sells him the leftover bread after the work day is complete. The children who live down the road greet him with cheers as they run past, and Ryan laughs as he flicks them a few spare copper he has in the bottom of his satchel. The city is alive with people hawking their wares and chatting to their neighbors and deep down Ryan feels _pride_ , though he’s not quite sure why.

As he approaches the College, his walk is slowed.

A town crier has amassed a small audience. People press close together to hear the news, and it completely blocks the College entrance. Her loud voice echoes from the cobblestone walkways and brick buildings.

“ _Hear ye now - by Decree of Wise King Jack: a tithe of produce, seeds, and meats shall be collected every morn from each citizen of the Kingdom. The offerings shall be used to appease the wrath of the Sun Queen and ward off the coming famine-_ ”

Ryan snorts and tunes the rest of the spiel out. It’s less of a case of the fabled Sun Queen being mad at them, and more likely that they as a kingdom hadn’t been prepared for the long summer. Reports of drought hitting the neighboring kingdoms have been steady over the years but their King hadn’t put anything in place should their own corner of the world be hit by the same troubles. They’d been lucky thus far, and now their luck seems to have run out.

Ryan’s advice had been ignored regarding the matter. What did his opinion matter, anyway. He was only a _Professor_. Not like he spent _months_ studying-

Anyway.

He pushes through the remaining crowd with polite, if slightly annoyed excuse me’s. They part quickly when they notice his Lord Advisor robes, and for once Ryan is grateful the pretentious fabric serves some kind of purpose. The black fabric is too thick to be comfortable on the best of days, and the golden trim around the edges scream _rich asshole here, ready for a mugging_.

Students and teachers alike mill around the campus. Some seem to be talking about the decree rolling into effect today, while others are absorbed into whatever research they’re currently pursuing. Ryan smiles at a few vaguely familiar faces as he makes his way towards the tall tower at the center of the campus. The guard at the door nods to him when he approaches, and makes no move to stop him as he enters.

Ryan’s maybe halfway up the stairs curling towards the top when he hears a loud _bang_.

It’s followed by a stream of words in a language he doesn’t understand.

They’re definitely curses, though. He knows that much when he races towards the door to his lab and finds his student lying on the ground, normally stylish clothes scorched black.

"Je vais te casser la gueule si fort que tu vas cracher toutes les dents!"

Ryan blinks, looking between his student, and a piece of Sky Kingdom technology that lies smoking in the middle of the room. Her long hair has already escaped the messy braid she had tied it in, and her glasses lie crooked across her face.

“Hello to you too, Fiona.”

Fiona halts her swearing tirade at the ancient technology, whipping around to face him. Her expression rapidly flicks between annoyance, guilt, and embarrassment, before finally landing on a sunny smile.

“Oh, hey Ryan!” She stands, brushing herself off, and then seems to remember herself. “Er, I mean - Professor. Sorry”

Ryan laughs. “It’s ok, I’ve told you to call me Ryan.” He places his heavy bag down on one of the benches, crushing yesterday’s fruitless experiment. “What happened-”

Fiona jumps, rushing towards the abandoned Sky Kingdom tech. The box is smoking slightly, the hammer resting inside it as still as it had been the day it was discovered.

“I figured it out!” Her excitement occludes her previous anger, and she starts talking so quickly Ryan can barely keep up. “It’s some kind of crushing device. See this little opening here? I dropped some - er, I mean I deliberately fed some stone into it but nothing happened. So I kind of left it outside while I went to grab something to eat and then the sun came out and when I got back I noticed there was a light here and -”

Fiona points to the side of the strange box, where indeed there was a blinking green light. It was dim, and Ryan felt himself becoming just as excited as his student.

“You’re saying it used the sun as a power source?” asks Ryan.

“I think so,” says Fiona, nodding. “We tried redstone torches the other week but it didn’t work. So it must’ve been the sun, right? Like we know that the Sky Kingdom used to use sun magic to power their stuff before the Sun Queen got all _gah scary angry boom_.”

She emphasizes the last bit with a mimed explosion. Ryan nods along, but makes a mental note to check her write up of this later for any _uh_ , less than academic jargon.

“Anyway, I pressed where the light was glowing and then _bam!_ Hammer started going crazy, spit out a bunch of gravel and I think that’s…” Fiona pauses to sift through some powder that Ryan hadn’t noticed coating the ground. “Oh yeah, that’s definitely black powder. Problem was, it didn’t stop when it ran out of stone and I think some of the powder got something so -”

“Boom.”

Fiona nods emphatically. “Yeah, boom.”

Ryan carefully approaches the box himself, leaning over to study the latest development. For a moment, what appears to be some kind of interface flickers to life before dying down again.

“Good work,” he tells Fiona. She beams at the praise.

“Are you going to help me write this up, then?” she asks. “We can feed other stuff into it - see what it does to gravel or sand.”

Ryan is excited by the prospect. Sky Kingdom technology has always fascinated him. The civilization of the gods was quite advanced. He’d found evidence that they could use suits of armor to fly without enchantment, and could travel between the realms without worry of danger. They truly were the pinnacle of technological achievement.

Well. Until the sun swallowed them up because the Sun Queen had a bad day.

Supposedly.

Then Ryan catches sight of the bag he brought, and sighs, remembering his purpose here today.

“Sorry, you’ll have to take this one on your own. I’m just dropping off the texts you asked for yesterday before I have to head to the castle and _advise_.”

He says the last word with disdain. Truly, he has no clue why King Jack sought him out as an advisor when there were plenty of others in the college who were way more suitable. He didn’t have the pedigree of others at court.

Nor the tact.

Fiona scowls, but Ryan knows it isn’t aimed at him. She’s quite vocal about her opinions regarding the monarchy.

“That’s shit. Why do they want you around so much when they don’t even listen to you?” Fiona asks. It’s a question Ryan has asked himself many times before.

“I’m there to look nice. Even the king needs eye candy from time to time,” he jokes, and feels satisfied when she barks out a laugh.

Fiona picks up a quill and some parchment, pushing various trinkets and artifacts out of the way on one of the desks to give herself space to write. “I’ll make sure to write everything down so you don’t miss a bit. We can work on it some more when you get back!”

Ryan thanks her, excited at the prospect. He bids her goodbye, making his way back down the tower.

* * *

Sky King’s Castle always seemed a bit like a misnomer, to Ryan.

For one: the Sky King had never lived there. The Sun Queen destroyed the Sky Kingdom centuries before the castle had been constructed, and the gods that inhabited it disappeared around the same time.

For another: it wasn’t really a castle. It was walls of stone surrounding a raised platform with a number of smaller buildings nestled safely in the centre. So it’s more of a fort, Ryan thinks, though he’s not quite an expert on architectural nomenclature.

There’s no denying its magnificence though.

Ryan passes through the iron portcullis and is swept into what feels like another time. The central structure, the Chapel of the Lonely, appears almost grown from the tall, ancient trees that sit on either side. The large building has intricately carved stone walls with vines growing up tall marble pillars that sit on either side of the large double door. The boughs of the ancient trees grow over the top of the building, twisting to form the tall, curved roof. The stained glass above the door reflects colorful light throughout the rest of the courtyard.

The glass depicts the silhouette of a man, arms outstretched and encompassing a sphere Ryan guesses is supposed to represent the world. To the left, a golden figure lifts a shining sun into the sky. To the right, a dark figure holds a dripping, red moon. There are four others depicted in the glass as well, held within that world sphere: a warrior holding a sword, a thief in a bright red cloak, a gardner resting in a tree, and the Sky King, with a strange golden crown atop a featureless head.

The Sky Gods. Those who made the world.

Those who didn’t bother to share their advancements before up and disappearing.

“Hey, Ryan!” a voice calls, snapping Ryan out of his thoughts.

The Court Enchanter, Matt, exits the Chapel. Before the door swings closed behind the red, trailing cape, Ryan catches sight of the beginnings of what appears to be a stockpile of food.

“Hello, Matt,” greets Ryan. He likes the Court Enchanter. At least, more than he likes -

“Well look who finally decided to show up.”

\- Michael.

In any other time, in any other life, Ryan thinks he and Michael could have been friends. The King’s Protector has a fiery temper, sure, but he’s also just as interested in stories about the Sky Gods as Ryan. Unfortunately, the two always seem to butt heads when it comes to how the kingdom should be run, and Jack defers to Michael more than Ryan.

“Good morning, Michael,” Ryan says with a smile, at which Michael glares.

Also: Michael is an asshole. To him specifically. Ryan has no clue what he did to earn his ire, and nothing he does ever seems to please the man.

Matt, standing between them, looks from his face to Michael’s several times, before stepping forward. “We should be getting inside, right?” He manages to diffuse a little of the tension building in the air, but it lingers like the smell of rotting fruit. Michael huffs.

“Yeah, don’t want to keep Jack waiting,” grunts the Lord Protector, shouldering past both Ryan and Matt to head towards the Conclave.

A look passes between Ryan and the Enchanter, before they follow Michael around the Chapel and towards the tall building that is probably most castle-like in the area.

They pass through the stone arched entrance, where Jeremy is waiting for them. Yet another person Ryan thinks he could have liked, if fate had placed them in any other circumstance.

The King’s personal attendant ushers them through the entrance hall quickly, opening the door to the throne room.

Jack is quite the picturesque King. He sits upon a gold and red throne, wearing bright, jewel-toned finery. His face is what one would call ‘kind’ - round, red cheeked, brown eyes with laugh lines. A well cared for beard is braided with golden beads, making the red of his hair shine like fire. Atop his head is the crown styled to look like that of the Sky King’s: an almost perfect replica of the fine golden band dotted with obsidian, if not for the rather noticeable crack splitting what was once a complete ring into two distinct halves.

When their small group enters, Jack smiles, and Ryan can’t help but feel like he’s accomplished something great.

“My friends! Come in!” Jack’s voice is deep, booming throughout the hall and out of the Conclave itself, into the courtyard. The happiness in it seems genuine, and Ryan feels a little bad at the annoyance he often gets when he thinks about his responsibilities at court.

They enter and bow, the lowest of which is Jeremy who accompanies it with a nasally ‘ _milord_.’ After showing the appropriate amount of deference, Ryan stands, straight-backed and ready to converse on whatever the king deems appropriate today.

The heavy doors close behind them with a loud crash, leaving their group alone with King Jack.

‘ _It’s like the doors of a dungeon closing you in_ ,’ he thinks, allowing himself to sink into the dramatics of it all a little.

“I’m glad you were all able to take time out of your busy days to come see me,” says Jack.

All of Ryan’s admittedly low reserves of patience go into holding back the uncouth response to that statement. Jeremy had already taken him aside earlier that week to speak about his ‘lack of propriety in the presence of a great king’, and honestly nothing Ryan could say would be worth a repeat of that incident.

“It’s our pleasure to serve you, milord,” Jeremy responds when it’s obvious no one else will.

“I won’t take too much time, then. I just called you here to let you all know we have successfully begun our produce tithe,” Jack says, smiling at them like a friend would. “We’ve already had great success in creating a suitable stockpile worthy of appeasing the Sun Queen. With continued success, we should hopefully stave off their wrath for some time to come.”

Ryan rolls his eyes. Across from him, Michael snorts quietly.

It seems that Ryan isn’t the only person here to realize Jack’s religious bullshit is exactly that: bullshit. They share a commiserating glance, before Michael seems to remember he doesn’t like Ryan and it becomes a glare in his direction instead.

Oh, the fleeting alliances at court do have short lives indeed.

“Your Grace,” Matt starts, and Ryan can tell he’s bringing up an old argument by the tone. “If you would just consider keeping a reserve for the future, rather than _burning_ it all up-”

“But that would invalidate the sacrifice our people gave! I don’t want to needlessly take precious resources from our hard working citizens. I am just ensuring a future in which we don’t, as you say, _burn all up_ ,” Jack passionately explains, as if he really does care about the wellbeing and livelihood of the kingdom.

Or maybe Ryan’s just being too critical. Jack has been a wise and just king the entire time Ryan has known him. He’s a little misguided, yes, and believes far too much in the influence of the Sky Gods.

But that doesn’t make him a bad person.

The rest of the conversation passes him by while he begins to re-evaluate his stance on the tithe. There are of course complexities to it that Ryan knows he has ignored in favour of focusing on his own research. There are protections in place to ensure the less fortunate do not feel pressured to give as much as the wealthy. Only the excess that is afforded to the people is taken.

If the others notice his quieter presence, they do not say anything about it. Ryan makes sure to try and add an agreement here and there, peppering in tidbits about his research which is ultimately discarded in favour of other topics, so as to seem at least a little bit invested.

Eventually, they finish this meeting and are dismissed by the King. He offers them lunch in the dining hall in recompense for their time, something which cheers Ryan somewhat. The food is always good in the castle, Jack makes sure of that.

As they’re leaving the throne room, Ryan hears someone mutter.

“ _It’s not enough_.”

The warm feeling brought on by the promise of a good meal disappears entirely. Dread and recognition claw in the back of Ryan’s mind, but he cannot work out _why_.

King Jack is focused upon something Ryan cannot see outside the window, a deep frown marring his features. The shadow the crown casts over his eyes is unsettling, a warm brown turned to cold and calculating black.

“What was that, Your Grace?” Ryan asks. His heart is beating furiously in his chest

Jack blinks, and his expression clears. The king smiles, and whatever had overtaken him the moment previous seems to be gone.

“Sorry, Ryan,” says Jack, “Just thinking out loud.”

**Author's Note:**

> You know what I like? Kings AU. And Skyfactory AU. I've been wanting a reason to mush them together for a while and then Feed Jack came along and BAM now I know how. I have this fully planned out, but not fully written. I can't promise consistent updates, but this has been brewing for a _while_ so I am very committed to seeing this through.
> 
> ((also for a translation of what fiona says if hover text is inaccessible: "I am going to punch you in the mouth so hard you spit out your teeth." Cursing in french is more than just a simple 'motherfucker'. It's an _artform_ ))


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